Preparing Intensive Care Unit in Resource-Constraint Setting Amid COVID-19 Pandemic: Our Experience and Review

Kajal, Kamal; Naik, B. Naveen; Singh, Ajay; Soni, Shiv Lal; Hazarika, Amarjyoti; Saini, Kulbhushan; Jaswal, Sanjay; Meena, Shyam Charan; Pandey, Naveen; Puri, G. D.

COVID-19 pandemic is an emerging, rapidly evolving public health emergency where a nation's health-care system can face a marked surge in demand for intensive care unit (ICU) beds and organ support. In regions with insufficient medical resources, it may further aggravate the existing shortage, limiting an ICU's ability to provide the normal standard of care. It can present ethically or legally demanding questions about how to prioritize the allocation of life-saving medical resources. In developing countries like India, still many hospitals are challenged by competing priorities and remain underprepared. In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, to guide the intensive care disaster planners in regions with low resources and to ensure ICU readiness, this review shares our experience and strategies for preparing ICU with existing and alternative resources, focusing on space, equipment, and health-care workers’ safety and training.